It’s true, being a Wind Turbine Blade Technician is a seriously cool job, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be incredibly challenging in equal measure. This particular career path is not a walk in the park but it’s certainly worth the effort. With the wind energy industry booming, we’re seeing more and more work opportunities for Blade Technicians all across the globe, the question is:
Do you have what it takes?
To be successful in a job like this you need to consider a few things about yourself:
- Are you a hard worker who is physically fit? You’ll need to go through some pretty gruelling training to obtain your qualifications and that’s before you’ve even made it onsite. During a project you’ll be working 10 hours a days, 6 days a week, climbing up and down 150m ladders multiple times a day and surprisingly, that’s not for everyone.
- Are you afraid of heights? Working from a MEWP or a platform at 100m is hair raising enough but trying to steady yourself and a heavy bag of equipment whilst dangling on a rope 150m up takes some serious courage.
- Can you cope being away from home for long periods of time? This is not your usual 9 to 5. Work rotations average at around 4 weeks, but they can be longer, so if you consider yourself a ‘homebird’ maybe this profession isn’t the right one for you after all.
If you’ve answered ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Yes’, it sounds like you might well have what it takes. And if you team that with a healthy dose of determination, maximum effort and an attitude to work that’s second to none you’ll be very deserving of all the epic perks to the job that follow.
- Let’s start with the opportunity to travel and see the world – whilst being paid for the privilege! Team Bladefence are constantly evolving and expanding, currently working all over Europe and North America, so that means countless chances to discover the beauty of new places and the flora and fauna that comes with it.
- You will not find a better office view. Period. It’s 7am, the surroundings are completely tranquil and still, you can hear the birds singing the dawn chorus and the smell of the dewy pine forest is filling your nose with delight, you’re 100m up with a private front row seat watching the sun rise above the clouds, ready to start the day. Enough said.
- I’m sure it’s not the same for every company, but here at Bladefence we’re a family. Never before have I witnessed the amount of love, respect and team spirit that’s shared between our team – Yes, you may be sad to leave your family at home for 4 weeks, but how sad can you be when you’re gaining another family to support you in the interim?
- Choosing a career path within such a rapidly expanding and innovative industry like Wind Energy is like planting a fruit tree and reaping the rewards year after year – it just keeps giving. As a Blade Technician the future is bright, if you’re prepared to put in the hard work there is a wealth of training and career development opportunities available to you as you grow and gain experience over the years.
Working within this industry we know one thing for certain: Things will change… and that’s not a bad thing! It’s no secret that we’re working in a changeable environment, and the benefit of this is that we’re always developing ourselves whilst learning to adapt and evolve. It’s inevitable, customers will change their requirements, weather will be unpredictable, in fact there’s a whole array of changes that we’ll be faced with and that we’ll overcome – but that’s what makes us love it so passionately, it’s a real challenge and opportunity to develop and it certainly will never get boring!
So, what do you think… Who’s up for the challenge?
